A suspect is in custody, and no motive has yet been disclosed.
Two people are dead after a gunman opened fire in a church near Birmingham, Alabama. According to CNN, Capt. Shane Ware with the Vestavia Hills Police Department has said that a third victim is being treated in hospital for an “unknown injury.”
A suspect is in custody, and no motive for the shooting at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Vestavia Hills has yet been disclosed.
Per reports, the shooting was reported to the police at 6:22 p.m. CT. According to its calendar, the church was scheduled to host a “Boomers Potluck” between 5 and 7 p.m., but it isn’t yet known whether the attack interrupted this.
“From what we’ve gathered from the circumstances of this evening, a lone suspect entered a small group church meeting and began shooting,” Vestavia Hills police Capt. Shane Ware said, per NBC.
“If anybody needs to pass along any information concerning this investigation to the Vestavia Hills Police Department and our detectives, I need them to call 205-9780140,” he added.
Rev. Kelley Hudlow, missioner for clergy formation for the Diocese of Alabama, told CNN affiliate WVTM: “Currently we are praying for healing and safety for all those who have been impacted and affected, and also knowing this is a traumatic thing that has happened to our community, not just our church, but this community here. What we need is for this community to do what it’s really good at, which is coming together to take of each other.”
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey responded briefly to the tragedy, saying: “I am glad to hear the shooter is in custody. This should never happen — in a church, in a store, in the city, or anywhere. We continue to closely monitor the situation.”
This latest episode of fatal gun violence comes on the heels of multiple gun-related tragedies in recent weeks. Four people were killed when a gunman opened fire in a Tulsa hospital a fortnight ago, and the country is still in mourning over the horrific mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas last month, as well as the fatal shooting of 10 people in Buffalo. In May, five people were injured and one was killed in a shooting at a Taiwanese church service in Orange County, California.
As the clamor for gun law reforms heightens, lawmakers are still finding their way to a workable compromise. A bipartisan group of senators announced an agreement in principle, but the realization of a gun safety bill is still proving tough — the chief Republican negotiator walked out on talks yesterday.
